Reflections

REALISM : THE WAY OUT OF NEGATIVITY   A lot h as been said about positivity in relation to negative situations one finds oneself in; this article attempts to examine that, basis personal experience, and challenge long-held beliefs, basis learnings through deep personal association with pain stretching over a long time. It is said being positive, dreaming, looking sunny etc are the anecdote, that one should try to be upbeat and gung-ho as far as is possible for one to be.   Been there, done that. Dreams and positive thoughts don't help at all. They didn’t for me, at any rate. What helps, then? Realistic assessment, plus n minus awareness, recognition of your flaws, recognition of your strong points, and a plan out of it. In the plan dreams aren't good: small steps, tackle the immediate problems first, and move ahead Also, capacity and capability building, up skilling and constant effort. Accept flaws, yet realise you are not responsible for the mess.   ACCEPTAN...

One of the most prominent questions in the modern world is the hunt for Peace of Mind, and the worries over Materialism that is fast rising in the developed and developing worlds. One stream of thought states that the real world requires Hard Work, Commitment, Discipline, Mental Focus and has myriad issues and crises to contend, and thus Peace of Mind {PoM} is hard to come by. Another stream maintains that it is very much doable…   the dominant narrative is that Peace of Mind and Materialistic Lifestyles don’t mix; that you have to sacrifice, and that Hard Work is the sole preserve of the materialistic chase, given that while the body exists, its needs are real. These both states are in reality a state of being , a state of mind, an entire lifestyle by themselves, that is the irreducible minimum. This transcends hard work commitment etc... these are paths to a goal. Going forward ,we need to understand that we are living in a material world, a world dominated by a West...

This article has been inspired by a Whatsapp Discussion; centered around faith, and what is faith. That set my mind racing, as I, perhaps for the first time, tried to come to terms with this rather complex term. Well, upon consideration, it seems to me that   this is a highly individual matter, and would not like to make a generalisation. For me, it is faith in God - Parmatma, and My Religion - Sanataan Dharm. My faith, my beliefs, my rising trust in God,   and that there is a purpose to life; all these are late realisations that came about slowly over a period of time due to abhyaas, practice THE BASIC NATURE OF FAITH For what its worth, faith has to be in something Non-Materialistic; and is highly individual. It has to be completely devoid of personal interest as well. Faith isnt faith if there is personal interest in it. Personal interest is the anti-thesis of faith, in reality. One has to rise above Material aspects, and appreciate - or try to   - appre...